If you're enjoying these stories, consider leaving a comment, review, or vote.
You can also visit the Pat** on at: ilham20
"You three! What on earth are you spouting in front of a guest?!!!!!"
Aoi Kanzaki had come outside right after welcoming Shinobu back, following her instructions to greet Shuya.
She saw that he was getting along surprisingly well with the three little girls, so she decided not to interrupt at first.
But she never expected them to get more and more outrageous.
They were trying to get him to marry Lady Shinobu just so they could eat candy every day, and then they even tried to set her up with him!
The most ridiculous part was that they actually brought up her wetting the bed?!
Aoi's entire mood collapsed. She immediately jumped out to stop them.
"Ah, the head caretaker's here."
Even though the three little girls said that out loud, they didn't look scared in the slightest.
Instead, the moment they saw Aoi, they winked at Shuya and started promoting her. "Big brother, this is our mansion's head caretaker, Aoi Kanzaki. She's actually pretty cute, right?"
"Why don't you just marry her and stay at the Butterfly Mansion from now on?"
"Sumii!!"
Aoi was so flustered she immediately shouted the name of one of the three girls who was still teasing her.
"The head caretaker's mad! Run for it!"
The three girls exchanged glances, then tugged on Shuya's sleeve. "Big brother, once we escape from the head caretaker, we'll come back and tell you more about her wetting the bed!"
With that, they bolted like the wind.
"Sir, please don't listen to them. I don't wet the bed—I really don't——"
Aoi didn't bother chasing after them. Those three were too clever for their own good.
Even if she ran after them, she wouldn't catch them. It was better to clear things up with Shuya first so he wouldn't get the wrong idea.
"It's fine."
Shuya looked at the twin-tailed girl in front of him and smiled. "Kids say whatever comes to mind. I won't take it seriously."
If the three girls had been talking about anyone else, Shuya might not have believed them.
But since it was about Aoi Kanzaki, the credibility was actually pretty high.
As one of the supporting female characters in Demon Slayer, Shuya knew quite a bit about her.
Like the other Corps members, Aoi had a tragic past—she had lost her family to demons.
She had once wanted to join the Demon Slayer Corps to avenge them.
She had even learned Water Breathing, the most widely taught style in the Corps, and passed the Final Selection to become an official member.
But every time she faced a demon, she couldn't stop the fear in her heart. She couldn't overcome her psychological trauma, so she couldn't grip her Nichirin Blade properly.
After her older sister died, Shinobu—now gentler than before—persuaded her to stay at the Butterfly Mansion as support staff and contribute to the Corps in her own way.
In the end, she became the only official member of the mansion besides the three Kocho sisters and the three little girls. She handled all the day-to-day affairs as the head caretaker.
Judging from what the three little girls had said and what Kanae Kocho had muttered to herself earlier, the part about Aoi wetting the bed might actually be true.
"I'm really sorry about that."
Aoi bowed slightly, lowering her head toward Shuya. Her voice carried just the right amount of gratitude and embarrassment.
She tried to change the subject. "It's almost dinnertime. Please come with me, sir."
"Or would you prefer to look around the mansion first?"
"My name is Shuya. You don't have to call me 'sir.' Just say my name."
Shuya looked at the two blue butterfly-shaped hair clips on Aoi's twin tails and couldn't help but think of Saya Takagi, who was still back in Greed Island.
They both had the same hairstyle—twin tails.
The only differences were their hair color and the fact that Aoi's hair only reached her shoulders.
Still, the butterfly-shaped hair accessories that matched the Butterfly Mansion's theme looked a lot prettier than the simple white ribbons Saya used.
"This——"
Aoi paused, then corrected herself. "Understood, Shuya sir."
"Never mind." Shuya waved his hand. "You can head back first. I'll look around on my own for a bit."
"Alright."
Aoi hesitated for a moment before replying, "Then I'll bring your dinner to your room later."
With that, she quickly left.
On one hand, she was still embarrassed about the three girls exposing her secret in front of Shuya.
On the other hand, she had to go deal with those three little troublemakers.
She was just glad Shuya didn't believe them. Otherwise, being teased like that would have been social death on the spot.
"Shuya-oniichan, how are my big brother and Takeo doing? Are they okay?"
After Aoi left, Nezuko stayed behind instead of following her. She looked at Shuya and asked about her family.
She was secretly grateful that the three little girls had shifted everyone's attention by teasing Aoi earlier.
Otherwise, having her feelings exposed in front of Shuya would have made her so embarrassed she might have run away too.
Shuya suggested, "Let's walk together. We can talk while we go."
"Okay."
Nezuko nodded and quietly followed behind Shuya, listening as he told her about her older brother Tanjiro and younger brother Takeo.
"Hmm?"
As they walked, Nezuko suddenly bumped into Shuya's back.
She quickly looked up at him, confusion in her eyes.
She didn't understand why he had suddenly stopped.
Then she followed his gaze.
In the distance, a girl with a single side ponytail was sitting quietly in the courtyard.
She wore a pink kimono that fit her perfectly. Her face was fair and delicate, like a doll. A pink-and-green butterfly-shaped hair clip adorned her ponytail.
She sat perfectly still, surrounded by butterflies dancing gracefully around her.
The girl extended her right index finger.
One of the butterflies actually landed on it and stayed there.
Nezuko couldn't help but exclaim, "She's so beautiful!"
But the moment Nezuko spoke, the butterflies around the girl scattered and flew away.
"I—I'm sorry!"
Nezuko immediately realized her mistake and bowed in apology.
The delicate girl only glanced briefly at Shuya and Nezuko.
She didn't respond at all. Her eyes showed no emotion whatsoever—let alone any blame. She simply turned around and prepared to leave.
"Wait."
Shuya called out to stop her.
Her features were far too distinctive.
Shuya immediately recognized who she was—the youngest of the three Kocho sisters.
Kanao Tsuyuri!
She was also the most tragic one among them.
As a child, she had suffered severe abuse from her parents and developed extreme autism. She stopped speaking and expressing herself.
Later, her parents sold her to human traffickers, but Kanae and Shinobu forcibly bought her back.
She received the most love and care from both Kanae and Shinobu.
While most Demon Slayer members fought in wooden geta, Kanao was the only one who wore expensive white Western-style boots.
Shinobu had never even planned to let her join the Corps. She had hoped Kanao could live the ordinary, happy life that Kanae had wanted for her. In the original story, Kanao had secretly joined the Final Selection on her own.
Unfortunately, fate never took pity on tragic people.
After Kanae's death, Kanao would later watch her other sister Shinobu die right in front of her during the final battle.
Kanao turned back and looked at Shuya quietly. She still didn't speak. Her eyes showed no emotion at all.
Shuya asked, "If you could see Kanae Kocho again, what would you say to her?"
Finally, hearing the name Kanae Kocho made Kanao freeze.
A ripple finally appeared in her pink eyes.
Her lips parted slightly, and she softly spoke two words in a hoarse, hesitant voice—like someone who had never spoken before trying to talk for the first time.
"Big sister——"